A tornado is a violently rotating column of air, typically visible as a funnel cloud underneath a cumuliform cloud. Tornados are the most serious form of atmospheric phenomena and can cause extensive property damage and serious injury and death to persons. Weather forecasting is not a perfect science. Some tornadoes can occur without a tornado warning by weather forecasters. Some tornado warning devices, with various deficiencies and limitations, are known in the art.
While commercial tornado alarm devices are available to counties and cities in our country, they are typically strategically located near schools and larger populated areas. In some instances the cost of the commercial alarm system is too expensive for consideration. When a warning triggers a commercial device, only individuals within a closer proximity of the tornado siren will hear it. If a tornado siren activates during nighttime hours, and a person is asleep, the siren may not be heard at all.
Tornado warning devices and systems known in the art also include, for example, those integrated with a traditional weather radio. A known disadvantage of the weather radio system is that the warning is a synthesized voice message that discontinues after three announcements, and is not specific to one event. Further, as many individuals become desensitized over time to the multiple alert events and ultimately come to ignore the alerts, the device is turned off or the volume is lowered.
Related patents and published patent applications known in the art include the following: U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,467 issued to Singleton Jr. et al. on Jun. 21, 1977, discloses an alerting process and system of apparatus thereof. U.S. Pat. No. 4,812,825 issued to Kennedy et al. on Mar. 14, 1989, discloses a tornado warning system. U.S. Pat. No. 5,546,800 issued to Daniel on Aug. 20, 1996, discloses an early warning tornado detector. U.S. Pat. No. 5,781,852 issued to Gropper on Jul. 14, 1998, discloses an alert receiver interface. U.S. Pat. No. 5,801,636 issued to Tatom et al. on Sep. 1, 1998, discloses a method and apparatus for seismic tornado detection. U.S. Pat. No. 6,018,699 issued to Baron, Sr. et al. on Jan. 25, 2000, discloses systems and methods for distributing real-time site specific weather information. U.S. Pat. No. 6,034,608 issued to Frank et al. on Mar. 7, 2000, discloses a tornado alarm system. U.S. Pat. No. 6,125,328 issued to Baron et al. on Sep. 26, 2000, discloses a system and method for projecting storms using NEXRAD attributes. U.S. Pat. No. 6,295,011 issued to Barber on Sep. 25, 2001, discloses a tornado warning system. U.S. Pat. No. 6,351,218 issued to Smith on Feb. 26, 2002, discloses a method and apparatus for activating weather warning devices. U.S. Pat. No. 7,050,784 issued to Clark on May 23, 2006, discloses a weather radio channel acquisition system. U.S. Pat. No. 7,088,254 issued to Liebenow on Aug. 8, 2006, discloses a system and method for providing a device with protection from a weather event. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0159132, filed by Wright et al. and published on Jul. 21, 2005, discloses a wireless device with integrated emergency alert notification.
The foregoing patent information reflects the state of the art of which the inventor is aware and is tendered with a view toward discharging the inventor's acknowledged duty of candor in disclosing information that may be pertinent to the patentability of the technology described herein. It is respectfully stipulated, however, that the foregoing patent and other information do not teach or render obvious, singly or when considered in combination, the inventor's claimed invention.